The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced an increase in cash assistance under the Laadli Behna scheme to Rs 1250 per month from Rs 1000 per month. Rs 1250 per month will be credited into the account of the beneficiary women bank account from October 2023.

Speaking at a Ladli Behna scheme event in Bhopal the chief minister announced certain other benefits for women under the Laadli Behna scheme . They are as follows ;

Beneficiaries of the Laadli Behna scheme will be given loans from the bank and interest will be paid by the government.
Land will also be reserved for them in industrial areas, and they will get free plots in urban and rural areas to construct homes.

Other announcement made by the chief minister

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also announced 35 % reservation to women in government jobs and 50% in teachers recruitment.
Government will provide Rs 250 to women on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan,
Homes that are in the name of women, will only have to pay ₹100 for electricity from October.

Laadli Behna Scheme

The Laadli Behna scheme was announced by the Madhya Pradesh government in January 2023. It was implemented in March 2023 across the states .

Aim of the Laadli Behna Scheme

The scheme aims to promote economic independence of women in the state, continuous improvement in the health and nutrition level of their dependent children and to strengthen their decisive role in the family.

Eligibility of the Laadli Behna Scheme

All married women including widowed women,deserted women born and residing in Madhya Pradesh are eligible under the scheme .
The annual income of the woman or her family shall be less than Rs 2.5 lakhs per year.
On 22 September 2023 the chief minister announced that unmarried women above 21 years of age will also get the benefit of the scheme.
The beneficiary women must have completed the age of 21 years as on 1 January in the calendar year of application under the scheme and shall be less than 60 years of age.

Health and economic Status of women in Madhya Pradesh

According to the National Family Health Survey 5 (2020-21), 23.0 percent women of the state are at a level below the standard body mass index.
According to the National Family Health Survey 5 (2020-21), the level of anemia among women aged 15 to 49 years has been reflected at 54.7 percent.
In the rural areas where there is 57.7 percent male participation in the participation rate, only 23.3 percent female labor force participation.
Similarly, in urban areas only 13.6 per cent females have participated in the labor force against 55.9 percent males.